Jeopardy! — regular play vs. special play

This page breaks out by Jeopardy! season, regular play vs. special play.

The term "special play" is used because not all non-regular episodes are tournament games (and not simply because the show insists on calling Second Chance a "competition"). In the table below, I break it out further into three categories. The two-letter column headings mean:

RP: regular play
SN: special play, new contestants. This covers everything that featured first-time players who had come through one of the usual contestant testing and audition processes. So, for recurring events: Teen Tournament, Seniors Tournament, College Championship, Teachers/Professors Tournament, Kids/Back to School Week. It also includes Armed Forces Week in June and July 1999, as well as the two International (1997, 2001) and one Olympic (1996) tournaments, as most of the players in those events had not previously appeared on the syndicated North American version of the program.
SR: special play, returning contestants. This is all events comprised of players who had previously been on Jeopardy!, but had originally come through the regular contestant pool. Historically, this was just the Tournament of Champions, with one-off reunion events every several years. This category has expanded under Michael Davies to encompass Second Chance, Champions Wildcard, and the Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
SE: special play, exhibition. Mostly Celebrity, including the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational in Season 26, and the Washington, D.C. variant, Power Players. The "clip show" immediately following the Million Dollar Masters (episode 4088; May 15, 2002) is also binned here.

For convenient reference, I also include an "RP+SN" column. In addition to this page generally, that particular column arises from a comment by Golf on JBoard in September 2024.

All data courtesy J! Archive, particularly the "prizes" page, which details all special play in the show's history.

Season RP SP SN SR SE RP+SN Notes

1 195 0 0 0 0 195

2 185 10 0 10 0 185 Tournament of Champions debuts

3 200 30 20 10 0 220 Teen Tournament and Seniors Tournament debut

4 200 30 20 10 0 220

5 190 40 30 10 0 220 College Championship debuts

6 190 40 30 10 0 220

7 190 40 30 10 0 220

8 190 40 30 10 0 220

9 185 45 30 10 5 215 Celebrity Jeopardy! debuts

10 180 50 30 15 5 210 10th Anniversary Tournament

11 185 45 30 10 5 215

12 181 49 34 10 5 215 Last Seniors Tournament; Olympic Games Tournament

13 185 45 25 10 10 210 International Tournament

14 187 43 20 10 13 207

15 179 51 25 15 11 204 Teen Reunion Tournament; Armed Forces Week

16 190 40 25 10 5 215 Back to School (Kids) Week debuts; Merv Griffin & Harry Friedman co-EP

17 190 40 35 0 5 225 International Tournament; Harry Friedman becomes sole EP

18 179 51 30 20 1 209 Million Dollar Masters

19 185 45 30 10 5 215

20 195 35 30 0 5 225

21 119 111 25 86 0 144 Ultimate Tournament of Champions

22 195 35 25 10 0 220

23 185 45 35 0 10 220

24 195 35 25 10 0 220

25 189 41 30 10 1 219

26 181 49 25 10 14 206 Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational

27 192 38 35 0 3 227 IBM Challenge ("Watson games"); Teachers Tournament debuts

28 180 50 35 10 5 215

29 185 45 35 10 0 220

30 175 55 30 25 0 205 Battle of the Decades

31 200 30 15 10 5 215

32 195 35 20 10 5 215

33 200 30 30 0 0 230

34 200 30 20 10 0 220

35 190 40 30 10 0 220

36 160 30 20 10 0 180 Last season with Harry Friedman as EP; COVID-shortened

37 220 10 0 10 0 220 Mike Richards as EP

38 220 10 10 0 0 230 Michael Davies replaces Mike Richards as EP after 20 episodes

39 190 40 0 40 0 190 Second Chance debuts; High School Reunion Tournament

40 78 152 0 152 0 78 WGA strike impacts schedule; Champions Wildcard debuts; Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament debuts

Season	RP	SP	SN	SR	SE	RP+SN	Notes
1	195	0	0	0	0	195
2	185	10	0	10	0	185	Tournament of Champions debuts
3	200	30	20	10	0	220	Teen Tournament and Seniors Tournament debut
4	200	30	20	10	0	220
5	190	40	30	10	0	220	College Championship debuts
6	190	40	30	10	0	220
7	190	40	30	10	0	220
8	190	40	30	10	0	220
9	185	45	30	10	5	215	Celebrity Jeopardy! debuts
10	180	50	30	15	5	210	10th Anniversary Tournament
11	185	45	30	10	5	215
12	181	49	34	10	5	215	Last Seniors Tournament; Olympic Games Tournament
13	185	45	25	10	10	210	International Tournament
14	187	43	20	10	13	207
15	179	51	25	15	11	204	Teen Reunion Tournament; Armed Forces Week
16	190	40	25	10	5	215	Back to School (Kids) Week debuts; Merv Griffin & Harry Friedman co-EP
17	190	40	35	0	5	225	International Tournament; Harry Friedman becomes sole EP
18	179	51	30	20	1	209	Million Dollar Masters
19	185	45	30	10	5	215
20	195	35	30	0	5	225
21	119	111	25	86	0	144	Ultimate Tournament of Champions
22	195	35	25	10	0	220
23	185	45	35	0	10	220
24	195	35	25	10	0	220
25	189	41	30	10	1	219
26	181	49	25	10	14	206	Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational
27	192	38	35	0	3	227	IBM Challenge ("Watson games"); Teachers Tournament debuts
28	180	50	35	10	5	215
29	185	45	35	10	0	220
30	175	55	30	25	0	205	Battle of the Decades
31	200	30	15	10	5	215
32	195	35	20	10	5	215
33	200	30	30	0	0	230
34	200	30	20	10	0	220
35	190	40	30	10	0	220
36	160	30	20	10	0	180	Last season with Harry Friedman as EP; COVID-shortened
37	220	10	0	10	0	220	Mike Richards as EP
38	220	10	10	0	0	230	Michael Davies replaces Mike Richards as EP after 20 episodes
39	190	40	0	40	0	190	Second Chance debuts; High School Reunion Tournament
40	78	152	0	152	0	78	WGA strike impacts schedule; Champions Wildcard debuts; Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament debuts

Below is a plot of the "RP" (blue) and "RP+SN" (red) columns over the years. The green strip across the plot represents the range of 175-180 games, where Michael Davies wants to put the quantity of regular play per year (with all special play featuring returning contestants).

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